A repeat-fact or fiction Agriculture suggestions Part 2

GOOD Morning you lovely people of Bohol . Can you believe Christmas is just around the corner again, now time flies. A wise bible teacher once said, sooner or later God will bring self-sufficient people to the place where they have no resource but him-no strength, no answers, nothing but him. Without Gods help, they are sunk. The teacher then told of a despairing man who confessed to his Pastor.” My life is in a really bad shape.” “How bad” the Pastor asked, burying his head in his hands he moaned”, I will tell you –all I've got left is God”.

The Pastors face lit up, I am happy to assure you that a person with nothing left but God has more than enough for a great victory. Are you in a position where all self sufficiency is gone? If so, as you turn your eye's on the Lord, remember to put your hope in him, you have God's reassuring promise that you need nothing more. Lets pause for a moment: In you, O Lord we take delight, Our every need you will supply, We long to do what's good and right so Lord, On you we will rely. When all you have is God you have all you need.

Our topic: We will continue where we left off last week, I hope you are finding it interesting. As I've said before, agriculture needs dedicated in this day and age.

The ever increasing cost of commodities needed to make farming worthwhile it is becoming a very hard uphill struggle, it is important therefore to look and find other means of producing crops cheaper than at present. But if we stop, and look around us. We have always had what is needed “Natural Resources” from theses we build houses, make furniture, build roads, bridges and yes, make fertilizers, organic fertilizers. With the high cost of chemical fertilizers and the decline in crop yields, organic farming. In the writers view is not just another option, but an essential part of agriculture if we are to survive and sustain our livelihood.

The continued use of chemicals to the soil is rendering it in likeness to a drug addict. The more you have, the more he wants, and the result is chaos! But organic farming is the antidote! It can replace to the soil what is lacking. Not only in the major nutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus, potash, magnesium. etc. But also the micro nutrients which in many cases are over looked, but as equally important. The use of organic materials build up the humus content of the soil structure, which enables it to sustain moisture, hold in the nutrients, thus increasing the soil fertility, level and helps to reduce or stop soil erosion. These are all things that chemical fertilizers have a problem with. The heavy rains we experience here means that unless the soil structure is stable. Then much of the fertility is lost. A point to remember is that 1 inch of rain 250 tons of water per hectare. As mentioned previously organic farming can help prevent many of these problems. At this point, let us think what soil management really means.

Soil management has two very important aims, a) and to grow crops for profit, and b) to maintain or improve soil fertility in the long term. A sound knowledge of soil management. Must provide a suitable medium in which seeds can germinate and roots can grow and it must be able to supply the nutrients necessary for crop growth. Soil texture is the name given to the mixture of particles that make up a soil structure. For instance, a loam is a soil containing approx.; equal amounts of sand, silt and clay. A clay soil is one in which the clay particles are the dominant feature. Texture of the top soil by making sands and clays more “loamy” by giving more body to the sands and making the clay structure more workable.

The soil texture also controls the drainage, water storage, working properties and suitability for various types of crops, I is also a major item in deterring the structure of the soil. Being a consultant and an agriculturist I know the value of good soil fertility. I am no expert, but I do know that organic farming is the only way we can maintain the soil fertility level, chemical fertilizers cannot do this. Only on a short term basis. Organic faring gives you a continuation of soil fertility, but more important it gives you “soil maintenance”. A factor which is most cases overlooked. What is soil maintenance? Using your common sense and not abusing the soil. The old way was of course crop rotation. This method kept soil pests to a minimum.

We can still practice this but in other ways such as strip cultivation's, mixed cropping and planting crop that are beneficiaries to the soil. Such as legumes. These plants help to return nitrogen to the soil. I could go on explaining this in great detail but that's not the aim at the present time. What I'm trying to do is to draw the farmers attention to the fact that organic farming can put money in their pockets and not in the bank account of the maker and suppliers of chemical fertilizers. These people are not interested in the farmers profit margin or your yields, only how much you want to purchase. They are only really interested in their profit! I have been a farmer, so I know how the system works.

The change over to organic farming can not be done overnight, it will take time. But if you, the farmers are dedicated and keen to make the change, then this will reduce the time factor. To conclude, we know as human beings that if health begins to decline we have to do something about it quickly eat right, eat exercise, see a doctor, because we are a living being item. It's the same with our soil, that is also a living item, like you, treated right it can work for you, abuse it and you suffer. If we want to enjoy life and survive, then we must start making the changes today! Before its to late. Take care see you next week.